On March 28^th and29th, NNED Royal Rangers held the Fourth Annual District Wide Commander’s Conference and Banquet at the Curtis Lake Christian Church in Sanford, Maine. A combined total of 67 Commanders and their spouses from around the District gathered for this time of fellowship, sharing and learning. The theme of this year’s Conference was “Reaching the iPod Generation”; that is, making Rangers more interactive and attractive for the current generation of boys. Indeed, the Conference is truly an interactive experience unto itself, as leaders get to meet face-to-face and interact with the District Staff. District Commander Jerry Love explained DWCC this way: “It’s the one time each year that leaders from around our District get to spend time together, where the District Staff gets an opportunity to build relationships with the men in the trenches, and we have the opportunity to give honor where honor is due”.

The Conference started on Friday evening for those who were taking First Aid and CPR training, as the District Staff put the finishing touches on preparing the church for the many leaders who would be in attendance the next day On Saturday morning, leaders arrived for registration, and during the opening session, they were prepared for the day’s activities with worship and a devotion led by Pastor Tim Haynes. Commander Jerry then introduced the District Staff, and also gave a brief overview of changes in the ministry introduced at the 2008 National Council. Following the general session, leaders went off to various leadership Training Modules, including Navigator for Beginners, guest-taught by Commander Ray Skinner of New Jersey, creator and designer of Navigator, the official National Royal Ranger Data Manager for Leaders! The ladies were not left out, either. There were activities throughout the day, led by Rita Love and Karen Poirier, including devotion and sharing, craft displays, bargain shopping, and an afternoon fellowship tea!

Lunch was also a special experience, as it marked the debut of the new Royal Ranger Missions BBQ Trailer, personally crafted by Commander Willy Gusha, who served up some great hamburgers and hot dogs. Hats off to Commander Willy, who truly was “Grillin’ for God”! Following lunch, it was back to classes. During the afternoon, leaders also got to attend various breakout sessions on District Events, Training, Programs, and Missions, and hear in-depth, the changes coming from the National Office. Also, Commander Jerry got to share his heart at a special meeting for Senior Commanders.

Again this year, the District Superintendent, Dennis Marquardt, and the Director of Men’s Ministries, Ed Shearer, graced the Conference with their presence, both greeting the leaders of the District with words of praise and encouragement.

Following these sessions, and a closing wrap-up in the sanctuary, it was time for the evening banquet, which featured dinner music by the group September, including Commander Jerry and Rita’s daughter Ginger Garcia. A wonderful dinner was served by Teen Challenge of Manchester, after which it was time for worship and the evening message from Pastor Tim Katon of Family Worship Center in Plymouth, NH, who gave a passionate, motivating message on reaching out to this lost generation of boys. The message clearly stirred the hearts of those in attendance! Following this, it was time for the District Auction, with Commander Jerry reprising his world-famous role of auctioneer, and raising hundreds of dollars for NNED Royal Rangers!

After the auction, the various Commander’s and Outpost Awards were handed out. One of the evenings presentations was given to the District office; a framed certificate for the “Wall of Fame” at the District office honoring Nathan MacGilvary of Outpost 11. The certificate is only the second of its kind awarded to a Royal Ranger in the Northern New England District by the National Office. It’s the Medal of Courage for saving a life. Retiring Commander Ken Bustard was the honored, receiving a special video tribute and a reading of a moving letter written by his son, Ben “Broken Limb” Bustard, as a tribute to his father. Commander Ken also received a special gift from the District: a wonderful pastels portrait of himself in his Ranger glory! And if that wasn’t enough, he was also inducted into Royal Rangers Alumni! Congratulations, Commander Bustard!

After this, the Conference closed in a word of prayer, and DWCC 2008 came to a wonderful close! Indeed, it truly was a special event for all who came, fellowshipped, taught, learned and served. Reflecting upon this year’s DWCC, Commander Jerry said, “This was a special Conference. So much new information was imparted to the leaders of our District, we introduced our new BBQ, showed off our new District patch collection, and awarded more leadership awards than ever before. I believe we all came away enriched by the weekend”.

The men and women who serve as leaders in NNED Royal Rangers are “Ready” to Reach, Teach, and Keep the iPod Generation of Boys for Christ!